Air conditioner indoor unit

This application is a continuation Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/ICN2022/082611, filed on Mar. 23, 2022, pending, which claims priorities to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110306263.5, filed on Mar. 23, 2021; Chinese Patent Application No. 202110306271.X, filed on Mar. 23, 2021; Chinese Patent Application No. 202110306272.4, filed on Mar. 23, 2021; Chinese Patent Application No. 202110790974.4, filed on Jul. 13, 2021; Chinese Patent Application No. 202121770385.1, filed on Jul. 30, 2021; and Chinese Patent Application No. 202121324537.5, filed on Jun. 15, 2021, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present disclosure relates to the field of air conditioning technologies, and in particular, to an air conditioner indoor unit.

Air conditioners are one of common electrical appliances in family life. With an improvement of living standards of people, people have high requirements for the performance of air conditioners in all aspects. Generally, the air conditioners perform a cooling cycle or a heating cycle of the air conditioners by using a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator.

In an aspect, an air conditioner indoor unit is provided. The air conditioner indoor unit includes a housing, a panel, a fan assembly, a first air guide assembly, and at least one first driving assembly. The housing has an inner cavity, and a side of the inner cavity is open to constitute an opening. The panel is disposed at the opening of the housing, and the panel includes a first air outlet. The fan assembly is located in the inner cavity of the housing. The first air guide assembly is located on a side of the panel away from the housing, and a second air outlet is provided between an edge of the first air guide assembly and an edge of the first air outlet. The second air outlet is a portion of the first air outlet. An end of the first driving assembly is fixedly connected to the panel, and another end of the first driving assembly is fixedly connected to the first air guide assembly. The first driving assembly is configured to drive the first air guide assembly to move relative to the panel, so as to change a size of the second air outlet to adjust a flow direction of air flowing out from the second air outlet. The first air guide assembly includes a flow direction changing structure, and the flow direction changing structure is configured to move in a direction different from a moving direction of the first air guide assembly, so as to change at least a portion of the second air outlet to adjust the flow direction of part or all of the air flowing out from the second air outlet.

In another aspect, an air conditioner indoor unit is provided. The air conditioner indoor unit includes a housing, a panel, a fan assembly, a first air guide assembly, and a plurality of first driving assemblies. The housing has an inner cavity, and a side of the inner cavity is open to constitute an opening. The panel is disposed at the opening of the housing, and the panel includes a first air outlet. The fan assembly is located in the inner cavity of the housing. The first air guide assembly is located on a side of the panel away from the housing, and a second air outlet is provided between an edge of the first air guide assembly and an edge of the first air outlet. The second air outlet is a portion of the first air outlet. An end of at least one of the plurality of first driving assemblies is fixedly connected to the panel, and another end of the first driving assembly is fixedly connected to the first air guide assembly. The first driving assembly includes a rotating member, and the rotating member is configured to make the first air guide assembly rotatable relative to the rotating member. The plurality of first driving assemblies are configured to move synchronously, so as to drive the first air guide assembly to move in a direction away from or proximate to the panel, or to move asynchronously to drive the first air guide assembly to perform a tilting movement relative to the panel, so as to change a size of the second air outlet to adjust a flow direction of air flowing out from the second air outlet.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the described embodiments are merely some but not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on embodiments of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and the claims, the term “comprise” and other forms thereof such as the third-person singular form “comprises” and the present participle form “comprising” are construed as an open and inclusive meaning, i.e., “including, but not limited to.” In the description of the specification, the terms such as “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “exemplary embodiments,” “example,” “specific example,” or “some examples” are intended to indicate that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics related to the embodiment(s) or example(s) are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s) or example(s). In addition, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any suitable manner.

The use of the phrase “applicable to” or “configured to” herein means an open and inclusive expression, which does not exclude devices that are applicable to or configured to perform additional tasks or steps.

The phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” has the same meaning as the phrase “at least one of A, B, or C”, both including the following combinations of A, B, and C: only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, and a combination of A, B, and C.

The phrase “A and/or B” includes the following three combinations: only A, only B, and a combination of A and B.

Hereinafter, the terms such as “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined by “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “a plurality of” or “the plurality of” means two or more unless otherwise specified.

In the description of some embodiments, the expression “connected,” and derivatives thereof may be used. The term “connected” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the term “connected” may represent a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or a one-piece connection, or may represent a direct connection, or may represent an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. The embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to the content herein.

The term such as “about,” “substantially,” and “approximately” as used herein includes a stated value and an average value within an acceptable range of deviation of a particular value. The acceptable range of deviation is determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art, considering measurement in question and errors associated with measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., limitations of a measurement system).

The term such as “parallel,” “perpendicular,” or “equal” as used herein includes a stated condition and a condition similar to the stated condition. A range of the similar condition is within an acceptable deviation range, and the acceptable deviation range is determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art, considering measurement in question and errors associated with measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of a measurement system). For example, the term “parallel” includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, and an acceptable deviation range of the approximate parallelism may be, for example, a deviation within 5°. The term “perpendicular” includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, and an acceptable deviation range of the approximate perpendicularity may also be, for example, a deviation within 5°. The term “equal” includes absolute equality and approximate equality, and an acceptable deviation range of the approximate equality may be that, for example, a difference between the two that are equal is less than or equal to 5% of either of the two.

Air conditioners include one-piece air conditioners and split-type air conditioners. In the split-type air conditioners, indoor units may be divided into stand-type indoor units, wall-mounted indoor units, and ceiling-mounted indoor units according to different installation methods of the indoor units. The ceiling-mounted indoor unit has advantages of small occupied space, flexible installation methods, and convenient maintenance, so that the ceiling-mounted indoor unit is suitable for installation in places such as a hotel, a shopping mall, an airport, a hospital, a factory, or a research institute.

In some embodiments, as shown in, an air conditioner indoor unitis the ceiling-mounted indoor unit and includes a housing, a panel, a fan assembly, a first air guide assembly, and a second air guide assembly.

The housingincludes four side walls and an inner cavitysurrounded by the four side walls. The inner cavityis configured to accommodate the fan assemblyand an indoor heat exchanger. A side (e.g., the lower side) of the housingis opened to form an opening, and the panelis disposed at the opening. The panelincludes a first air outlet. The first air outletin a shape of a ring. Of course, in some embodiments, the first air outletmay also be in a rectangular shape or in a shape of other polygons, which depends on actual design cases.

As shown in, the housingfurther includes a return air inlet, and the return air inletis located on the side wall of the housing. In a case where the fan assemblyis disposed in the housing, the fan assemblydrives air (e.g., indoor air) to enter the air conditioner indoor unitthrough the return air inlet, and the air entering the air conditioner indoor unitflows out from the first air outletafter exchanging heat with the indoor heat exchanger. In order to improve the cleanliness of the air entering the air conditioner indoor unit, the housingfurther includes a filter mesh, and the filter mesh is disposed at the return air inlet.

As shown in, in a case where the return air inletis located on the side wall of the housing, the return air inletand the first air outletare located on different planes, so that an air flow path in the air conditioner indoor unitsubstantially has a shape of a letter of “C,” and a return air flow path (e.g., the direction shown by the arrow Ain) and an air outlet flow path (e.g., the direction shown by the arrow Ain) of the air flow path do not affect each other.

In some embodiments, the first air outletand a return air inlet′ are located on a same plane. For example, as shown in, the panelincludes the first air outletand the return air inlet′. In this case, the first air outletand the return air inlet′ are located on a same plane, and the air flow path in the air conditioner indoor unitsubstantially has a shape of a letter of “U,” and the return air flow path (e.g., the direction shown by the arrow Ain) and the air outlet flow path (e.g., the direction shown by the arrow Ain) in the air flow path are likely to interfere with each other, which increases the resistance of the air in the return air flow path. However, in the air conditioner indoor unitprovided in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the return air inletand the first air outletare arranged on different planes. During the operation of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner indoor unit, the air flows from a high place to a low place, so that the flow resistance of the air may be reduced, and the noise of the fan assemblycaused by the flow resistance may also be reduced.

In order to clearly show the aft flow path between the return air inletand the first air outletand the air flow path between the return air inlet′ and the first air outlet, some components such as the first air guide assemblyand the second air guide assemblyare not shown in.

As shown in, the fan assemblyincludes a fan, a fan motor, and a fan shroud.

The fan motoris fixedly connected to the housingand is configured to drive the fanto operate.

The fanis configured to draw indoor air into the air conditioner indoor unitthrough the return air inletand exhaust the indoor air after exchanging heat with the indoor heat exchanger through the first air outlet. The fanprovides power for the flow of the indoor air. The fan assemblyincludes a diagonal flow fan, which may make the air at the first air outletdo centrifugal and axial movements, so that the air may flow to multiple corners of the indoor, so as to make the air output of the air conditioner indoor unituniform.

The fan shroudis disposed in the inner cavityof the housingand is located outside of the fan. The fan shroudis configured to guide airflow generated by the fanto the first air outlet. An end portion (e.g., the bottom portion) of the fan shroudproximate to the first air outletis opposite to an edge A (as shown in) of the first air outlet.

As shown in, the first air guide assemblyis mounted on the paneland is located on a side of the panelaway from the housing. The first air guide assemblyis configured to control a flow direction of the air flowing out from the first air outlet. A second air outletis formed between the edge A of the first air outletand an edge B of the first air guide assembly. The second air outletis in a shape of a ring and is a portion of the first air outlet. The air flowing out from the first air outletflows out through the second air outlet.

The first air guide assemblymay move in a direction proximate to or away from the panel, so that the air conditioner indoor unitprovided in some embodiments of the present disclosure may achieve three blowing modes through the first air guide assembly. The first is a first blowing mode. In the first blowing mode, the air flowing out from the second air outletflows in an approximately horizontal direction, and then the air flowing in the horizontal direction flows downwards from the top of the room, so as to achieve the effect of cold air (or hot air) sinking. The second is a second blowing mode. In the second blowing mode, the air flowing out from the second air outletflows downwards in an approximately vertical direction, and the flow direction of the air is similar to that of a waterfall. The third is a third blowing mode. In the third blowing mode, the blowing mode of the air conditioner indoor unitis switched between the first blowing mode and the second blowing mode, so that the air flowing out from the second air outletmay simulate natural wind.

For example, as shown in, in a case where the first air guide assemblymoves (e.g., upwards) to a first extreme position in the direction proximate to the panel, the edge B of the first air guide assemblyis closest to edge A of the first air outlet. In this case, a size of the second air outletis the smallest, and the air flows out from the second air outletin the approximately horizontal direction, so that the air may flow out in the approximately horizontal direction. Since the air conditioner indoor unitis located on the top of the room, the air flowing out in the horizontal direction may slowly flow downwards, so as to achieve the effect of the cold air (or the hot air) sinking, thereby achieving the first blowing mode.

The first blowing mode may prevent the cold air (or the hot air) from blowing directly to the users, so as to achieve the effect of not feeling the air blowing and uniform air supply.

As shown in, in a case where the first air guide assemblymoves (e.g., downwards) to a second extreme position in the direction away from the panel, the edge B of the first air guide assemblyis farthest from the edge A of the first air outlet. In this case, the size of the second air outletis the largest, and the air flows out from the second air outletin the approximately vertical direction, so that the air may flow downwards in the approximately vertical direction, thereby achieving the second blowing mode.

The second blowing mode may make the cold air (or the hot air) blow directly to the users, and the indoor temperature may drop quickly when the air conditioner is cooling, or the indoor temperature may rise quickly when the air conditioner is heating.

In a case where the first air guide assemblyreciprocates (e.g., moves up and down) between the first extreme position proximate to the paneland the second extreme position away from the panel, the size of the second air outletchanges repeatedly, and a state of the air flowing out from the second air outletvaries repeatedly between the state of the air in the first blowing mode and the state of the air in the second blowing mode, so as to achieve the third blowing mode.

In the third blowing mode, the cold air (or the hot air) is similar to the natural wind and may intermittently blow to the users.

In order to install the first air guide assemblyon the paneland make the first air guide assemblybe able to move in the direction proximate to or away from the panel, as shown in, the air conditioner indoor unitfurther includes a first driving assembly, and the first driving assemblyis configured to drive the first air guide assemblyto move.

In some embodiments, as shown in, the panelfurther includes a mounting portion, and the first air outletis disposed around the mounting portion. The mounting portionis connected with the first driving assembly, and the first driving assemblyis connected with the first air guide assembly, so that the first air guide assemblyis connected with the paneland moves relative to the panel.

As shown in,, and, the first air guide assemblyincludes a bottom plate, an air guide portion, and a decorative cover. It will be noted that the first air guide assemblyshown inis the same as the first air guide assemblyshown in, and the first air guide assemblyshown inis the same as the first air guide assemblyshown in, and the first air guide assemblyshown inis the same as the first air guide assemblyshown in.

The bottom plateis located on a side (e.g., lower portion) of the air guide portionaway from the housing. The bottom plateis configured to be fixedly connected with the first driving assembly, and the first driving assemblydrives the bottom plateto move, so as to drive the entire first air guide assemblyto move. The bottom platemay be fixedly connected with the air guide portion. The bottom platemay be in a shape of a circular plate, however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The air guide portionis an approximately conical structure, and an end portion (e.g., the top portion) of the air guide portionproximate to the housingextends along a curve and extends (e.g., downwards along a curve) to an edge of the air guide portionin a direction away from the housing. The air guide portionis configured to guide the air from the first air outlet. Here, the edge of the air guide portionis the edge B of the first air guide assembly. The air guide portionhas a first via hole. After an end of the first driving assemblyis fixedly connected to the bottom plate, the other end of the first driving assemblypasses through the first via holeand is fixedly connected to the mounting portionof the panel.

The decorative coveris snap-fitted with the air guide portion. Alternatively, the decorative coveris snap-fitted with other components of the first air guide assembly. The decorative coveris configured to cover the bottom plate, so as to improve the aesthetic of the air conditioner indoor unit. In some embodiments, the first air guide assemblymay not include the decorative cover.

andshow two different first driving assemblies.

As shown in, the first driving assemblyincludes a driving memberand a fixing member. The driving memberincludes a shell, a third driving motor, a rotating gear, and a rack portion.

The shellmay include a plurality of sub-shells. For example, the shellincludes a first sub-shelland a second sub-shell, and the first sub-shellis fixedly connected with the second sub-shell. The third driving motor, the rotating gearand the rack portionare located in a cavity of the shell, and a structure of the shellfacilitates the installation of these components. The shellfurther includes a protruding portion(referring to), and the protruding portionis located on an outer wall of the shell. The protruding portionis fixedly connected to the mounting portionof the panelby means of screws, so as to achieve the fixed connection between the first driving assemblyand the panel.

The rack portionmay include a plurality of rack sub-portions. For example, the rack portionincludes a first rack sub-portionand a second sub-portion, and the first rack sub-portionis fixedly connected with the second rack sub-portion. The rack portionfurther includes a rack segment. The rack segmentis located on the first rack sub-portionand engages with the rotating gear.

The shellfurther includes a third via hole, and the third via holeis located at an end portion (e.g., the bottom portion) of the shellaway from the housing. An end (e.g., the bottom end) of the rack portionaway from the housingextends from the third via holeand is connected to the fixing member.

The fixing memberincludes a connecting plate, and the connecting plateis fixedly connected or integrally formed with the rack portion. The connecting plateis fixedly connected to the bottom plateof the first air guide assemblythrough screws, so as to achieve the fixed connection between the first driving assemblyand the first air guide assembly.

The third driving motoris fixedly connected with the rotating gearand is configured to drive the rotating gearto rotate, so that the rotating gearrotates to drive the rack segmentto move (e.g., to move up and down). Since the shellis fixedly connected with the mounting portionof the panel, and the rack portionis fixedly connected with the bottom plateof the first air guide assembly, when the rack segmentdrives the entire rack portionto move up and down, the rack portionmay drive the entire first air guide assemblyto move up and down relative to the shell.

In some embodiments, the driving memberfurther includes a rolling wheel. A mounting shaft of the rolling wheelis located in the rack portion, and a structure of the rack portionfacilitates the installation of the rolling wheel. A first portion of the rolling wheelis located in a cavity of the rack portion, and a second portion of the rolling wheelis located outside the cavity of the rack portion. The second portion of the rolling wheelexposed from the rack portionis in rolling contact with an inner wall of the shell. The rolling wheelmay improve the reliability and stability of the rack portionwhen the rack portionis moving up and down. Moreover, by providing the rolling wheel, it is conducive to reducing the friction between the rack portionand the shellwhen the rack portionis moving.

When the first driving assemblydrives the entire first air guide assemblyto move up and down, the first air guide assemblymay be in a position shown in, or in a position shown in, or in any position between the two positions.

In a case where the first driving assemblyshown inis used, the first air guide assemblymay perform a vertical movement but may not rotate. In this case, the first air guide assemblymay be connected to the panelthrough one first driving assembly. Of course, in some embodiments, a plurality of first driving assembliesmay also be used to perform the vertical movement of the first air guide assembly.

In a case where one first driving assemblyis used, as shown inand, the bottom plateincludes a connecting portion. For example, the connecting portionis a cylindrical structure. The connecting portionextends (e.g., upwards) in a direction away from the bottom platefrom a center of the bottom plate. A first cavityA is provided in the connecting portion, and a side (e.g., the upper side) of the first cavityA away from the bottom plateis open, so that the first driving assemblymay protrude into the first cavityA. In this way, the fixing member(e.g., the connecting plate) of the first driving assemblymay be fixedly connected to a bottom portion(as shown in) of the first cavityA. For example, the fixing memberis fixedly connected to the bottom portionof the first cavityA through screws.